Shanghai World Expo

Our last day in Shanghai and we went to the World Expo to see the Shanghai Greenhouses.

A fantastic place that tackled the whole history of the world, starting with a mock up of the asteroid strike that scientists believe my have started life on earth.

It had amazing plants and special effects and we followed a path under the sea and then up to the treetops.

It is fairly new so climbing plants are still making their way to the top of their frames.

For this year and 2027 they are showcasing plants from Mexico, so it also imcluded a 20 foot high alpaca and giant Mexican hats.

Also lots of pumpkins for Halloween.

We had a great time and back to London tomorrow.

On The Bund, Shanghai

 The Bund is a mile long promenade along the Huangpo river in Shanghai. It has beautiful historic buildings on one side and amazing futuristic skyscrapers on the other.

We arrived in the morning when it was quiet and the weather was clear.

By the afternoon we wanted to cross to the other bank and were keen to go by ferry. The cost was only 2 yuan each (about 25 pence) each, but the tickets had to be bought on a phone, and we couldn't get it to work.

Instead we bought a coffee from a robot café and walked back along The Bund.

The other way to cross the river was by the underground tunnel. This cost 70 yuan return each, but was pretty cool.

It only took three minutes and we were on the other bank.

There was a great pedestrian raised walkway and we took loads of close up photos of the buildings.

We had a mini picnic on a shopping centre rooftop while we waited for the sun to set. This is when the lights start to come on and the crowds start to appear.

We took in the view of the old town first.

Then back through the crazy tunnel for the main event.

Zhangjiajie boat trip

Our final morning in the Zhanjaijie Mountains and we are going on a boat trip. Of course we had to catch a shuttle bus to get there, then a short queue and on to our boat.

Once we were on the electric powered boat it was very peaceful and we soon passed a traditional Tujia style boat complete with a handsome young man singing to us.

He ended with a yodel like flourish and we all yodelled back. I assume that he then sat back down and played a game on his phone until the next boat went past.

His quiet colleague also looked the part.

Two minutes later we approached a traditional fisherman with his cormorants. Exactly on que one of the cormorants dived and caught a big fish.

Was that an amazing sight or perhaps it was a stunt fish?

More lovely views of the mountains and traditional houses.

Then a boat with a beautiful young lady singing to us.

I was genuinely disappointed that the cruise had ended, although there was just time for one last song from the lady who took our tickets.

Back on the bus and to a waterfall. 

Finally we drove to the airport to catch our flight to Shanghai.

Avatar Mountains

 I have realised that visiting mountains in China is done very differently to the way it is done in most of the rest of the world. I am not saying that as a criticism, and it is very interesting to see it in action.

Today we visited the Zhanjaijie Mountains, which are now, thanks to the film, also known as the Avatar Mountains.

Firstly we took a cablecar up to the first level.

The views were spectacular and the cablecar extremely speedy. It needed to be because it had to move a huge number of people. Our guide had bought VIP tickets so we strolled past the queues.

At the top we caught a shuttle bus for about half an hour and arrived at plaza that even had a McDonald's.

From then on the day turned into a blur of huge crowds, amazing views and shuttle buses speeding along narrow roads.

The picture above is of a viewpoint titled 'The number one bridge in the world', and it had a 350 metre drop to the forest floor.

We also stopped to look at a giant statue of a local General who was a contemporary of Chairman Mao.

I am not sure, but I think that the little girl must be horsing, and I didn't dare try it myself.

Part way around we saw the peak that inspired the film Avatar. It might look small in the photo but it is actually very big with full grown mature trees on the top.

Getting back down the mountain was also entertaining as we caught a 100 storey lift that took only 88 seconds.

At the base a tribe of monkeys had realised that there was rich pickings to be taken from the tourists. They were okay at the moment, but give them a few years and they will be terrifying.

In the evening we went on an outing to the Tujia 72 Wonder Tower.

The Tujia people are a minority group inside China with their own traditions, clothes and food. The Wonder Building is a vast entertainment area that highlights all of their traditions in a totally crazy modern way.